UK space radar faces Welsh blockade amid fierce local backlash
A planning decision on the DARC - Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability - project was expected last week, but the Welsh Government intervened days before the vote, a move that could potentially lead to a conflict with Westminster concerning the UK’s national security.
Opponents of the radar have considered this a small victory in the opposition against the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) plans, as the newly elected Plaid Cymru government has openly resisted it.
However, the area’s Labour MP Henry Tufnell criticized Plaid ministers, saying “their priorities are all in the wrong place.”
The radars, to be built by American defense company Northrop Grumman, are designated for Cawdor Barracks, near St Davids, and are part of the AUKUS security partnership between the UK, US, and Australia.
Each radar dish, measuring 20 meters high by 15 meters wide, is designed to detect, track, and identify objects up to 22,000 miles in space. Once installed, the three sites—one in each nation—would connect to provide a complete 360-degree, 24-hour view of space.
"Desecration of the land"
Leading the campaign against the project is Game of Thrones star Jerome Flynn, who told LBC: “I see it as a desecration of the land.
“It’s not our airspace, it’s our beautiful coastal birds and their migratory space. There is substantial evidence showing that they are one of the largest emitters of harmful EMFs [high-frequency ionizing radiation]
“We need to consider human beings, including the visitors here, and what it might do to the tourism industry.
“The argument that it would bring jobs is just ludicrous,” he added. “Because locals won’t be involved in the operation. Jobs will be lost.”
“I don’t think anybody feels that installation is going to make us safer.
“Installing such infrastructure makes Wales a supporter of the most provocative regime in the world right now. That makes enemies.”
Mr. Flynn argued the radars were “antithetical” to what the St David’s peninsula represents, especially as an important pilgrimage site.
The MOD states ‘the radio waves used by DARC are non-ionizing radiation. They are not hazardous to health because they do not have enough energy to cause harmful ionization.
‘Levels of non-ionizing radiation in the area surrounding the DARC site would be less than or equal to that received from using a mobile phone, presenting no danger to members of the public in the area.’
It also argues the radar would protect satellites crucial for GPS navigation, emergency communications, banking systems, weather forecasting, and military operations from hostile military actions, including missiles, hostile spacecraft, and blinding lasers, as well as accidental hazards such as fast-moving space debris and orbital detritus.
However, those against it fear the US would have primary control of the dishes, thereby aiding a US-led escalation in space warfare and making Wales a military target for its enemies.
Northrop Grumman’s director of space surveillance, Kevin Giammo, has previously stated that he sees DARC as a key asset in the US’s ‘Golden Dome’ initiative—a plan to create an air and missile defense shield over America.
Several individuals LBC spoke with at a PARC Against DARC (Pembrokeshire Against the Radar Campaign) rally cited Iran’s destruction of radar infrastructure in the Gulf in response to US-Israel attacks and their concern that Pembrokeshire would become a similar target.
Roy Jones, part of the group who successfully opposed a similar proposal in the 1990s, told LBC: “We often get accused of being NIMBYs. Yes, I feel passionately about my local landscape and my local community, but I wouldn’t want to see this thing put anywhere in Britain or anywhere in the world because it’s an instrument of evil.”
The feelings in the community are strong enough that local Labour MP, Henry Tufnell, has faced personal attacks, with protesters referring to him as ‘Toff-nell’ and holding cutouts of his face at rallies while chanting “Where’s Toff-nell?”
In response to Plaid’s move to take control of the planning decision, he told LBC: “How do we ensure there are good well-paid jobs, how do we ensure they continue beyond the construction phase, how do we ensure we reap the benefits as a local community? Those are the right questions to ask.
Outside his office in Haverfordwest, Mr. Tufnell, who has publicly supported the plans, insisted he had been engaging with the MOD and Northrop Grumman to minimize the impact on the landscape and health and ensure it benefits the local economy.
“Not questioning our national security and offering ourselves to China and Russia on a plate while disregarding our international partners. I think their priorities are all in the wrong place.”
Welsh Ministers can no longer comment on the application while the call-in process is active, but a statement from some Plaid backbenchers said: “We do not support the construction of the DARC radar array and have consistently voiced our serious concerns about the impact of this project on Pembrokeshire’s landscape, tourism economy, and public health—none of which have been adequately assessed.
“The level of opposition also demonstrates that many residents reject this proposal and the lack of transparency surrounding it.”
The program has collaborated with Pembrokeshire County Council to develop the planning application in accordance with applicable regulations in addition to Welsh national requirements. This will continue as the application is now considered by Welsh Ministers.
Northrop Grumman and Montagu Evans, the planning agent for the project, were contacted for comment.
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